What to know about the digital accessibility initiative

You have heard about digital accessibility. You have read up on it, attended a webinar or two, or are working to make sure your digital content complies. Inside gathered information from multiple sources to summarize the process, deadlines and why compliance is important.

What needs to be accessible and why

Led by the digital accessibility team in Information Technology Services (ITS), Iowa State has launched digital accessibility initiatives across campus to comply with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) updated digital accessibility regulations, which must be met by April 24, 2026. The federal expectation is that all web content, apps and digital assets will be accessible. All new digital university content must be accessible beginning Jan. 2, 2026, which provides employees the opportunity to establish accessibility habits ahead of the DOJ deadline.

The campus effort assigns every unit three digital accessibility tasks:

• Inventory its digital assets
• Prioritize remediation of its inaccessible content
• Develop sustainment plans to ensure accessibility long term (guidance coming by Dec. 1)

Campus teams currently are working on the web content and apps cataloging project, collecting information on:

• Websites they maintain (including faculty sites hosted on ISU sites)
• Third-party software and applications -- free or paid (those found in Self Service or Software Center, including Microsoft apps, already meet accessibility standards)
• ISU-managed social media accounts
• Learning materials in Canvas, Workday Learning, etc.
• Shared digital documents (PDFs, PowerPoints and other key files)
• Shared digital media (videos, podcasts)
• Email newsletters, digital marketing, advertising and online promotions
• All formats of training that a unit/department develops

To record the information they collect, unit teams should download the "Web Content and App Catalog" template from the Digital Accessibility SharePoint site. 

Prioritizing what's urgent (it's everyone's job)

Departments and units must decide the priority order for the accessibility updates they'll need to complete. Supervisors will coordinate this effort with their teams, and individual staff likely will be responsible for reviewing and updating their own digital content. 

Prioritizing digital content remediation offers four levels based on usage, impact and risk:

• Critical: Content that has high usage and impact and is key to educational or employee success. (Remedy within three to six months)
• High: High use, public-facing content that impacts large audiences or the university's reputation. (Remedy in five to six months)
• Moderate: Medium usage that is less visible with little traffic. (Remedy in 12 to 18 months)
• Low: Nonessential or informational only. (Monitor only)

Examples in each content level would include:

• Critical: Admissions portals, tuition payment, student health, emergency alert
• High: University homepage, public-facing department sites, intranet sites, registration sites
• Moderate: Low-usage PDFs, past course materials not archived, faculty research sites
• Low: Department microsites, old social media, unused domains

Prioritization plans should be completed by Nov. 21 so remediation can begin. The plans allow campus teams to document progress toward accessibility compliance. Content that is not accessible will need to be documented with a remediation plan in place by April 24, 2026. 

Training and resources

Ninety-minute digital accessibility training launched in October is available through Workday Learning and is intended to build basic accessibility knowledge. The two courses are Core Digital Accessibility Training for Staff and Core Digital Accessibility Training for Faculty. Each course is customized to include scenarios and examples specific to each role and should be completed by May 15, 2026. Digital accessibility training is encouraged for all members of the Iowa State community.

Faculty and staff who completed an earlier training provided in August do not need to complete the updated training.

The digital accessibility liaison network is a group of volunteer employees who serve as a communication link between the digital accessibility team and their respective departments. To join, email digitalaccess@iastate.edu.

The Digital Accessibility Toolkit has 75-plus how-to articles, video tutorials and checklists. Readers can navigate their options by topic or their role. Content focuses on practical guidance and step-by-step resources for creating accessible digital content, with new content continuously added.